In Which I Return To Textbook Hell (Once again, uber long!!)

[Tanasi]

The type of parent described in the OP are called helicopter parents (always hovering). When my two oldest went to college I hauled their stuff over in my truck but that's all I did, they carried their stuff up the stairs since some whiners had the elevator occupied. The next time they recruited their brothers to help. When my oldest son left a few weeks ago I put him on the bus told him to behave himself and then watched him ride out of sight.

[hinakiba777]

Nonononono!! I didn't mean to imply that at ALL. (Bad Lupo, posting after your bedtime when you don't make sense!!)

No Prob, Lupo. *hands over some tea and a cookie*

You just get out your grumbles so that you don't accidently murder those children who's umbilical cords are still uncut.

On this note, I talking to my friend who works at the Campus Book store at my school. He said he's made up two games.
Game 1 is "Spot the umbilical cord" It's where you try to see which parts are there as a support system and which are there because they are unwilling to let the kid be independent. It's kind of funny. I'm not great at it. I usually guess wrong until they pay.

Game 2 is "Make Hina buy the store." There's an ongoing pool on who can get me to buy the most stuff. The current leader made me buy three novels, and a sweater when I came in to get some scotch tape.

[Polenicus]

I'm afraid college bookstore stupidity appears to be universal.

I work Security at a local technical college. Now, leaders of the future these students AIN'T. We get a mix of people training to get into trades (Which are the good ones), people taking the slackest courses they can so Mommy and Daddy will let them continue to borrow the H2, ESL students (Also not bad) and the failures and rejects and other human spewtum who cannot get into anywhere else.

Still, this floored me.

December 26th & 27th. The time between Christmas and New Years was one of the few times of the year the campus was completely locked down. No access to sports facilities, no access to the 24/7 computer lab, NO ONE was to be on campus. Doesn't happen often, I admit. Now, I can understand people wanting to get in to get at their lockers, or check the postings for exams, or see if their class book liss are posted outside the registrar's office yet. But not this:

The first incident was with a group of students who arrived on the 26th to buy their books. Hmmm... bookstore lights are off. Door to that wing of the campus is locked. What does this tell you?

... Apparently, it tells you to try every single door on campus, working your way around the main building, until eventually you end up at a satellite building across the street, connected to the main campus by an overhead pedway, and try and enter THERE to walk across, work your way back to the bookstore, and buy your books. This is, at least, what they told me when I caught them. They seemed completely nonplussed about having tried at least twenty doors with no luck and the fact the bookstore lights were off... if one door on campus is unlocked, it must be open! They were rather shocked and surprised when I told them that was the case, and wandered off commenting about how much this 'sucked'.

The next day (Dec 27th), we had another genius drive up to the bookstore. Alas, the doors are locked, and the bookstoreligths are off. But what's this? An emergency security call box, right by the door! How convenient! I happened to be in the office when this call came in, and the person who took it put it on speakerphone.

Security: **** Campus Security, what's your emergency? (Required script when a call comes in from one of these boxes)

Genius: Hi, can you guys come down and open up the bookstore? I need to buy my books.

Security: ... I'm sorry, the campus is CLOSED until January 2nd. The bookstore will be closed until then.

Genius: So... you can't help me?

Apparently, he expected SECURITY to come down, open up the bookstore, and sell him his books.

Aheh... no.

[Snowbird]

I'm just curious if you had security get involved on this one. My dad ran the local university book return department for awhile after he retired and he would have had her put in custody so fast she wouldn't have known what hit her. He doesn't put up with much from unruly persons.

Did I mention my dad retired from the Federal Beareu of Prisons?

Your dad rocks. Did he happen to work with the 'all things pink' sheriff?

Back to the OP, I really hope that person is banned from buying books there again. Cutting your finger with her card? What is she going to do if someone puts lettuce on her burger when she asks for none, slap them? Oy.

[fireheart]

[B]

"Have I mentioned how much I missed dealing with the anal munching, fungus fucking, halfwitted bastard children of incestuous goats trying to buy books they're only going to end up using to smoke drugs or smear with their own feces in a drunken display of postmodern artistic expression?"

After about 30 seconds of silence my manager dies laughing, and my CW grins, telling me, "Aw, Lupo. We missed you, too!!"

Oh yeah, it's good to be back...

That's funny.

[PepperElf]

Seriously. People don't know this!!

I wish I could say I was surprised but... I learned that a long time ago.

Back in College I use to do printing for people... One person actually handed me a paper where they had used commas where the apostrophes go. So instead of reading say... "Sally's mother bought eggs, toast, and jam," it would read as, "Sally,s mother bought eggs toast and jam." Yeah... most people also didn't know how to do proper lists with commas either.

*sigh*
Sadly, this was before they stopped teaching skills like spelling and grammar.

[fireheart]

Helicopter parents are rare thankfully. I still live with my parents, but I'm responsible for buying my own textbooks and anything else directly uni-related. Fee-wise, Australian uni education has a system where you can defer your fees to the government and then pay them back once you start earning a decent wage. You can defer all, some or none.

[Nyoibo]

Fee-wise, Australian uni education has a system where you can defer your fees to the government and then pay them back once you start earning a decent wage. You can defer all, some or none.

Which means if you're like a couple of people I know, you still haven't paid the government back at age 35.